Tuesday nights are for MACtion. The MAC has been one of the better non-Power 5 conferences for football.
Predictability is not a thing, as the conference has not had a back-to-back champion since 2011-12, and only thrice since the conference was founded in 1997.
MAC CFB Futures Odds
Keep track of the best school name nickname betting lines for the college football season:
CFB odds used to make these predictions were current as of Monday, July 17, and were found at DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Toledo (+160)
- Ohio (+270)
- Buffalo (+600)
- Eastern Michigan (+800)
- Miami OH (+850)
- Northern Illinois (+1600)
- Central Michigan (+1800)
- Bowling Green (+2200)
- Ball State (+3000)
- Akron (+3500)
- Western Michigan (+5000)
- Kent State (+15000)
Best Bet & Favorite To Win The MAC
Toledo Rockets (+160)
FanDuel Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
The West division is notably stronger than the East, but Toledo has the best combination of talent and experience in the MAC.
Five players on offense had at least 70 touches in 2022, and all of them return for 2023. Toledo finished third in Pass Rate in 2022, led by cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Chris McDonald.
The duo remains in tact for this upcoming season.
Quarterback Dequan Finn has to stay healthy for Toledo to repeat as MAC champs. He missed the Championship game last year due to injury, and it almost cost Toledo.
In the unpredictable MAC, head coach Jason Candle has never had a losing season. If Toledo can repeat, the program would tie Northern Illinois and Marshall for the most titles in conference history with five.
Sleeper Bet To Win The MAC
Eastern Michigan (+800)
DraftKings Sportsbook
Eastern gets the nod over Buffalo as head coach Chris Creighton has made the Eagles a feared team after being irrelevant for decades.
Unlike Buffalo, who had a Jekyll-and-Hyde 2022, EMU took consistent steps forward.
The concern for Eastern is a new starting QB. Austin Smith threw for 774 yards and had a 6:4 TD-to-INT ratio in four starts (six appearances). Smith had 46 rushing attempts in his four starts, which will be needed with multiple offensive linemen starting for the first time in 2023.
If Smith and the new starters gel quickly, there is no reason the Eagles should not be able to hang with Toledo.
MAC Team To Fade
Northern Illinois (+1600)
DraftKings Sportsbook
If you can figure out which NIU squad shows up in 2023, then you can make a lot of money.
The offense could pop with QB Rocky Lombardi healthy and ready for Year 7 in college football. He should be able to do damage against players up to seven years younger than him.
NIU’s biggest concern is defense. It doesn’t have one.
Only two of its more experienced defenders are seniors. The Huskies allowed 37.2 points per game in losses last season and have to contend with Toledo, EMU, and Central Michigan in-division.
The Huskies have a gauntlet schedule through October before they face the bottom feeders of the MAC. The only way they stay relevant for the MAC championship is to upset one or two of Toledo, Ohio, or EMU, with the latter two games at home.
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